Deterministic control of magnetic skyrmion motions via engineered potential wells

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions, characterized by their topological protection, nanoscale size, and low driving current density, hold immense promise for next-generation ultradense memory and logic devices. However, the skyrmion Hall effect (SkHE) deflects their motion trajectory and often leads to annihilation at nanotrack edges, posing significant challenges for practical spintronic applications. In this work, we proposed an approach to guide skyrmion motion along predefined paths through the engineering of potential well lines, which is achieved by modulating local material parameters, such as magnetocrystalline anisotropy and exchange stiffness constant. Micromagnetic simulations demonstrate that this method effectively suppresses the SkHE, enabling skyrmions to follow designed trajectories. Additionally, the proposed method facilitates the alignment and sorting of multiple skyrmions from random distributions and proves effective for complex trajectory shapes, such as bends and waves. These findings provide a robust framework for the development of skyrmion-based information processing and storage devices, bridging the gap between theoretical potential and practical implementation.